Archive for March, 2013

Bike season is upon us now that spring has arrived (hopefully to stay!). After a winter in storage, many bikes will need a bit of routine maintenance; bike riders are in luck!! This winter, a Dero Fixit bike station was installed at Haverford’s Foundry near the GIAC and the Fine Arts Building.

The station contains tools to add air to tires, adjust the breaks, and much more! Not a bike expert? Don’t worry! Use a smart phone to scan the Quick Read code on the front of the Fixit, and you will receive detailed instructions on how to use the tools and fix your bike.

The Dero Fixit station would not be here without the initiative of William Leeser ’15, who applied for funding through Students’ Council and The Greening Haverford Fund. We asked him a few questions to learn more about his process:

How did you first hear of the Dero fixit? Why did you want to bring it to Haverford?

WL: I first heard about the fixit on reddit, where I saw a post by a student at UVA who spent a year organizing the installation of a fixit there. I immediately thought that the project was really cool because there are plenty of bikes at Haverford, but only a few pumps, and fewer tools available. This was an excellent solution for general maintenance, because it was simple, accessible, sustainable, and I think it will fill a need for many members of the community for years to come- all from a one-time investment.

Did you face any obstacles in the process? Is there anything else we should know?

WL: In terms of the process of getting the fixit installed, everyone involved did a really awesome job. It took about five minutes to find out about the Greening Haverford grant, and it took only two months after the application was submitted to secure the full funding. Edward Gracia of bike club and Claudia Kent played huge roles in making the project a reality; Ed made the project a priority for Bike Club, and went through SC to secure half of the funds, and Claudia, who was immediately enthusiastic about the project, designed a custom sign for the station, and ensured that the installation took place right away.